The Jesus and Mary Chain were an alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride, Scotland in 1984. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid. They released a string of albums, singles and EPs from their formation in 1984 until their breakup in 1999.

The Jesus and Mary Chain originally revolved around the songwriting partnership of its two main members, plus third founding member, bass player Douglas Hart. The band recorded their debut single, "Upside Down", released in October 1984 on Creation Records.

The melody, structure and lyrics ("Inside I feel so bad/So low I feel so sad/Feels like I'm going mad/Best friend I've ever had.") are reminiscent of 1960s 'wall of sound' pop music of the like created by the Brill Building or Phil Spector, but "Upside Down" gives the material a noisy post-punk treatment, with brutally simple drums and one guitar playing shrill feedback throughout most of the song.

Original drummer Murray Dalglish was replaced shortly afterwards by Bobby Gillespie (who would go on to front Primal Scream), and Michael Estes (alias, William Reid) subsequently claimed that he had played the drums on the debut single himself because of Dalglish's lack of ability.

Though the single received universal critical acclaim from the British music press, and the band was championed fanatically by the NME, it was their riotous live shows that drew them the most attention.

The Jesus and Mary Chain's early gigs have become somewhat legendary in indie circles. Playing in front of small audiences, the Mary Chain earned their notoriety by playing very short gigs, some lasting no more than 10 minutes and consisting of a constant wall of feedback and distortion, as well as playing with their backs to the audience and refusing to speak to them.

Many shows culminated with the Reids trashing their equipment, which was often followed by the audience rioting. All of this delighted manager and Creation Records boss Alan McGee, who obviously found it very easy to get attention for the band. He would simply make sure people from the music press were present while these events occurred, which ensured blanket coverage in the music papers.

The violence that followed the band's every action culminated in an event that is now a part of indie folklore. On March 15, 1985, the Jesus and Mary Chain played a gig at the North London Polytechnic in front of one of their largest crowds up to that point. Support band Meat Whiplash had stirred up violence before the Mary Chain even set foot onto the stage by throwing back into the audience a bottle thrown at them.

By the time the Mary Chain started their short set, the audience was already in the mood for violence, and because of its size (the venue was oversold), the riot that occurred was far bigger and wilder than any other that had occurred at a Jesus and Mary Chain gig. The fans trashed the venue and the band's equipment, resulting in four people being taken to hospital. An estimated £8000 of damage was caused. The music press were present at the show, and this event subsequently became known as "The Jesus and Mary Chain Riot".